The year of the boisterous
monkey is about to end, and people are only too happy to bid it farewell. In
its place, the Fire Rooster comes speeding in, setting its track ablaze with
fortunes waiting to be claimed.

Chicken?
Rooster? Not again.

You’re probably thinking that
you’re in for a bad year. After all, in Filipino culture, the Rooster or the
Chicken is considered a symbol of tight times. “Isang kahig, isang tuka” is only too familiar to kids who grew up
with their grandparents.

So before you write down 2017
on your forget list, know that the Rooster favors the hardworking and goal-oriented.
It brings great success to those who can aim sharply as this zodiac animal. The
rooster has no qualms about sharing a fortune. You only have to earn it with a
rooster’s sure-footed steps.

Think
and crow like a rooster

Make 2017 your banner year by
having a clear goal in mind. Open the
year of the Fire Rooster with your eyes set on a successful outcome, and you
will find that great financial habits can yield results.

The
trick is to take charge of your destiny. Is it wealth that you want? Is it better
work-life balance? Is it a comfortable and secure future? Reflect on your goals
and extract every bit of detail you can draw from them.

Be
specific. Exactly where do you want to be? You need to be specific about your wishes. Simply
saying you want something may not be compelling enough for you to act. You want
to be rich? Well, how rich is rich to you? It’s more proactive to say, “I want
to have a net worth of P5 million by the time I’m 40 years old.” See, it’s
easier to track your progress if you have actual numbers, or metrics, to
measure yourself by.

Know
when to hold off spending.
Tell yourself, “My budget is my friend.” Roosters are long-sighted, because their
eyes are transfixed on their goal. Pick up this trait and you can look forward
to greater rewards and yields, if you stick to your budget.

Remember,
today is the best day to build your net worth. Your net worth is a good place
to start and expand your horizon. The way towards wealth starts with building
your net worth. Net worth, in simple terms, is your assets less your
liabilities. Take heart: having a low net worth isn’t the end of the world! All
you need to do is begin. So take one step forward!

Trace
that red thread that connects you to your dream future. Asian folklore says there are
strings that bring two fates together. Visualize that thread running through
time, connecting you to your ideal self. Maximize the time in between by
investing and growing your money, from its present to future value.

That
is why you should plan for your investment basket. Today, there is a wide variety
of investment vehicles that you can choose from. These vehicles come with different
risks and expected returns. So,hit the books, and know the pros and cons of
wealth-building tools. Better yet, consult with experienced professionals. Let
them guide you on the best way to grow your fortune this New Year.

Create
and insist on having a good mix for yourself. Your portfolio should be ashard-working as your dreams. Diversify
to mitigate the challenges of this exciting year of the Rooster. Be as
bull-headed as this zodiac animal and you will take home your desired earning.

Don’t gawk too long over your
wins. A
strategic financial plan will bring robust yields, but make sure to keep
engaged in your goal. Along with your advisor, review your investments’ performance
and plan how to proceed. So, during your annual
financial review, ask yourself: are your investments delivering the returns you
expect? Are there over-performers? Are
there under-performers? How are their results affecting your financial goals?

Review your investments, and
re-calibrate if needed. Like a fire rooster that has a
strong sense of time keeping and responsibility, review and re-calibrate your
portfolio to get back on track. That is, you may have to take profits on over-performing portions of
your investment and re-allocate these to the under-performing ones, to “average
down”. This is the concept called "regression to the mean". This
tells us that over time, the returns we get from each investment would
approximate its average historical return.

Keep
your eye on the prize. Like the hard working rooster,
keep your eye on achieving your goals. The conditions surrounding may become
challenging, but just persist and find ways to mitigate those challenges.

Rein
in the Fire Rooster with a good team. Connect
with a team that gets you started on the life that you want today. Pursue your
financial goals with Insular Life and have fortune on your side with the right
mindset and the burning determination that are perfect for the Year of the Fire
Rooster.